Fetch!
Variations of the word
fetch have been one of the topics of conversation on my last two programs.
First, the word fetching, meaning attractive and alluring, came up. It derived
from the idea of fetching—grabbing or snaring something. Beauty will grab one’s
attention.
The following Tuesday,
Liz from Sutton’s Bay and George from Petoskey contributed nautical meanings of
the word. Liz mentioned that it is an act of tacking. George pointed out that
it also refers to the distance that waves can travel continuously without
obstruction.
There are other meanings
for fetch as a noun. In fact, there are three unconnected nouns spelled
identically.
Fetch 1
includes the meanings covered above, and several others:
- the act of bringing from a distance
- a sweeping motion
- a trick or stratagem
- a sigh or difficulty in breathing
- a game bird decoy
- as fetch-about, an evasive wordiness, a
circumlocution
Fetch 2 meant
the apparition, double, or wraith of a living person. If it appears to you in
the morning, it means long life. If it appears in the evening, don’t buy
unripened fruit; you’ll never get to eat it.
Fetch 3 was a
variant of fish—not the finny creature, but a long piece of hard wood used to
strengthen or brace a mast or spar.
Available from McFarland & Co.: Word Parts
Dictionary, 2nd edition
Nook edition
Nook edition
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